awaken with us

Joining the Olympia ​Mutuality Circle Community

"A Mutuality Circle is a place where committed practitioners can come together and engage in responsible mutuality and awakening together."

​For the past four years the Olympia community has been holding rich and catalytic mutuality circles, and we'd love to share this special magic and connect with you.

A mutuality circle could be considered a kind of "practice group," even though the Trillium path has very few practices, per se. What we are practicing are some of the fundamental dimensions of mutuality - speaking our truth and living our whole being in the self-other field, while making room for others to do the same - in the context of the Trillium teachings, concepts, and transmission, with the intention to support our own, and others', embodied consciousness awakening.

Our mutuality circles are structured similarly to teacher-led sittings in that we have silent meditation, gazing, and sharing. However, we do "peer gazing" where everyone randomly gazes with one another (not required, of course), and we give peer reflections after sharing, if people want that. We've also become fairly skilled at creating a safe-enough container for this work.

Although structurally similar to teacher-led sittings, mutuality circles have some powerful benefits. Some of the things we've heard people say about our mutuality circles are:

"I feel more empowered in my process"

"I love hearing the diversity of reflections from others"

"Instead of the energetic focus being on the teacher, it's more like the focus is on the center and the whole... like we're all spokes in a big wheel"

"Because there's no teacher, I feel more engaged in co-creating the container. As a result, I'm more present for the other people, and also for myself in a way."

"I really love the feeling of all of us being in this together. It creates a sense of cohesion."

Our mutuality community of committed Trillium practitioners has grown to the point where our 27 members now split into three small circles that meet for five months at a time. During these five months the small circles are "closed" to newcomers - this allows us to foster the safety, confidentiality, resonance, and trust that is so supportive of this profound work.

The mutuality circles are periodically open to accepting new members who are moved to deepen their engagement in the Trillium work. Those who are ready for this commitment are welcomed in during our two "open enrollment" periods: August and January. There may also be opportunities for new members to participate in Large Mutuality Circle meetings which are held during July and August, and sporadically during the fall/winter and the winter/spring five-month sessions.

Below is an overview of our welcoming sequence and some prerequisites before someone is brought into the mutuality circle community. The prerequisites are a guideline, and we consider each new candidate on a case-by-case basis. Our hope is that instead of a being a barrier, these steps allow for a smooth and conscious transition into becoming a responsible member of our mutuality circle community.

Think of it like dating a new person. You may want to go out on a few dates and get to know someone a little bit before inviting them into your home and meeting your family!

Note: If you're not quite sure you're ready to commit to the Trillium work, or to a five-month mutuality circle, feel free to continue coming to our teacher-led sittings and 'kicking the tires,' so to speak.

Step 2. Welcome MeetingSet up a Welcome Meeting with our Welcomer (you can arrange this by contacting the Olympia Area coordinator). This allows us to get a feel for where you are in your process and with the Trillium teachings, give you some background about the Trillium community in Olympia, and answer whatever questions you might have so far. We can also point you to additional resources or suggestions for your early explorations of the Trillium work.

Step 3. Attend your first teacher-led sitting.Before attending your first sitting, we encourage you to arrange a free 1/2 hour orientation phone call with the teacher. Although this is not required, it allows you to get more of a feel for the Trillium work, ask questions of an actual teacher, and get a sense whether a sitting is an appropriate next step for you. See our "Going to First Sitting" page.

Step 4. Deepen your engagement in the Trillium path.For the next several months, we encourage you to attend multiple teacher-led sittings and read Trillium materials at whatever pace feels right for you. There are many ways to deepen your engagement including starting to work with a teacher and mentor, if you feel so moved.

Or you might want to start reading some of the key dharma such as Saniel Bonder's books Waking Down, and The Great Relief, or CC Leigh's book, Becoming Divinely Human, (see the bottom of our resources page for info on ordering books). The Institute of Awakened Mutuality's 10-week online Foundation Course. is an excellent deepening opportunity as is the much shorter one-on-one Orientation Course offered by the Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle (Note: Olympia's interning teachers, Joanne Lee and Margit Bantowsky, are both available to teach the Orientation Course). You can find additional options on our "Next Steps" page.

Of course you are free (and encouraged) to attend sittings in Seattle and Portland, but in order to join the Olympia mutuality circle, you should participate locally as well, including the larger Sunday sittings, so that you can start building relationships with current circle members. This acclimation process helps create resonance and trust between you and the mutuality community.

Step 5. Request to join the circle.At some point you may feel moved to deepen your practice and become part of a committed group of fellow practitioners. After attending multiple teacher-led sittings in Olympia with members of our community, you can ask to become part of a mutuality circle if you complete one or more of the following:

We request that you have a clear understanding of the risks involved in participating in the circle. Embodied awakening entails deeply encountering our humanity, and can activate uncomfortable feelings and emotions. The safety of the group depends on all of us taking responsibility for our emotional and mental health, and during difficult times it may be appropriate to seek professional support. We ask that you read the following:

When you've met these basic prerequisites and have read and agreed to the three documents, above, then you can contact one of the members of the Coordinating Circle and ask to be considered for the mutuality circles.

Step 6. Conversation with member of Coordinating TeamOnce you've expressed interest, you will meet with a coordinating team member - who will be your "sponsor" - and have a conversation about joining the peer circle. This is to help clarify expectations and get a feel for your readiness for the peer circle. It is possible that the coordinating team may ask you to wait a little longer before joining, and/or make other recommendations to help prepare you for this step.

Your request to join the mutuality circle will ultimately be voted on by the entire Coordinating Team. When you've been given the thumbs' up, you'll be supported in participating in the next Open Enrollment process so you can join a circle as soon as possible.

NOTE: The above guidelines are just that: guidelines. They are designed to help promote your readiness to participate in a self-governed group of practitioners committed to embodied awakening in alignment with Trillium Awakening.

To help create the smoothest transition possible for you and the mutuality community, the Olympia Trillium Coordinating Circle will decide on a case-by-case basis whether it seems appropriate for you join the circle now, or to do a little more preparation first. You will then be free to participate in the next "open enrollment" process and join one of the small mutuality circles.

"What really greases the wheels of the total Waking Down process is that we don’t try to accomplish these great passages in isolation.

"Learning to be vulnerable and communicative with others while we and they are going through these changes proves, in our work, to deliver a continual alchemical charge, and at the same time a calming balance, to the often tumultuous transitions we find ourselves enduring."~ Saniel Bonder